Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Game consoles and original programming

There was an interesting article cited in the Minneapolis Star Tribune indicating a move by console manufacturers to expand their consoles beyond the video download boxes they have already become to host more original programming. Some examples cited in the article:

Microsoft is testing a remake of the TV game show "1 vs. 100," where players on the Xbox LIVE network compete and are represented by 3D avatars.

Sony is pushing two videogame-themed shows "Qore" and "Pulse," along with a reality show called "The Tester," where 11 contestants will compete to win a job as a PlayStation game tester.

The Nintendo Wii is home to exclusive content through the console's Nintendo Channel. The channel includes trailers, commercials, and interviews with game developers.

One of the questions raised in the article was whether the game console as a video player could be a threat to pay-TV services. There is some interesting data that just came back from a Parks Associates study called All Eyes on Video that suggests that the expanded entertainment capabilities of game consoles could actually threaten pay-TV subscriptions. When asked if they are likely to cancel pay-TV services in the next 12 months, active video consumers using either the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 console are much more likely to consider cancelling their pay-TV service.